EDUCATION REPORT - Charter Schools

Many American children are preparing to return to school
following summer vacation. Most American students go to traditional
public schools. There are about eighty-eight thousand public
schools. Some students attend about three thousand independent
public schools called charter schools.

Charter schools are self-governing. Private companies operate
some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional
public schools. They receive tax money just as other public schools
do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that
their students are learning. These governments provide the schools
with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate.

Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey
most laws governing traditional public schools. Local, state or
federal governments cannot tell them what to teach. Each school can
choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them.
Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.

The Bush Administration strongly supports charter schools as a
way to re-organize public schools that are failing to educate
students.

But some state education agencies, local education committees and
unions oppose charter schools. One teachers union has just made
public the results of the first national study comparing the
progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools.

The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government's
delay in releasing the results of the study from two thousand three.
The study is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Union education experts say the study shows that charter school
students performed worse on math and reading tests than students in
regular public schools. The students did so in grades four and
eight. The study found that fourth graders at charter schools were
about half a year behind public school students in both reading and
mathematics.

Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools
because students in those schools have more problems than students
in traditional schools. Other education experts say the study
results should make charter school officials demand improved student
progress.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy
Steinbach. This is Gwen Outen.